Over 91% of TAP pipes lowered into ground in Greece, Albania

More than 91 percent of pipes for construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) have been lowered into the ground in Greece and Albania, said a message from the TAP AG consortium.

“Construction work continues in full swing. Around 700km pipes now lowered into the ground in Greece and Albania (more than 91 percent out of 765km in total),” said the message.

TAP, the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor, will contribute to energy security, diversification of natural gas supply and decarbonization, according to the consortium.

TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU), and has already attracted 1.5 billion euros from the European Investment Bank (EIB), which approved the loan in early February 2018.

Connecting with the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network.

The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016.

Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.